Long or short (no, not salesletters)...

11 replies
...videos!

I just went to the site of a soon-to-be-launched product and the pre-launch sales video was over 34 minutes long.

34 minutes!

I conceived 3 kids in less time than that!

Long (written) sales copy has shown over the years to be the best at converting.

But what about video? Has this been tested? The longer the better?

Cheers,

Neil
#long #salesletters #short
  • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
    I haven't tested, nor have I used video (yet)...

    but, there are two trains of thought:

    1) informercials... long, they work
    2) advertisements... short, they work

    So, which is best?

    I don't know... but, I think it's all about audience.

    When reading a sales-page, a lot of people skip to the bullets, that's not possible with video (unless there are bookmarks).

    Or, could the video be used to incorporate the bullets AT ALL TIMES? i.e. as an overlay.

    The message in an infomercial is always pushing towards BUY NOW, not many videos that I've seen on salesletters have mastered this art yet - so for now, I'd imagine that shorted videos accompanied by sales copy would work best.
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    • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
      Hi Karl

      I'd imagine that shorted videos accompanied by sales copy would work best.
      Yes, that's my preference but I'm always wary of paying too much attention to my own leanings because I've been staring at this screen for far too many years.

      Cheers,

      Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author timer
    I can't stand long videos, they really irritate me. Especially when they say watch till the end and get a great bonus/link/whatever. If the product is that good why does it need the long hard sell?

    If I come across long videos like this I move on as life is too short. If an offer or product can't be explained in 3-4 mins I'm not interested.

    So for me short video with sales letter is the best bet (plus a money back guarantee!!)
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    • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
      Originally Posted by timer View Post

      If the product is that good why does it need the long hard sell?
      How do you know the product is any good until you have bought it?

      That's why you have to be sold to.
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      • Profile picture of the author Stanley Tang
        Stats has shown that video salesletters are waaayyy outperforming long or short. But you got to keep in mind, videos are still COPY.

        Of course, it depends on what niche you're in as well.
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      • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
        Whenever the debate about long copy over short copy comes up, I always chime in and say that people who are considering buying a product want to know as much about it as possible. Hence the long copy approach works.

        I'm that way for long sales copy but the opposite when it comes to video.

        And I think it comes down to control, or loss of it, actually.

        With written copy I can choose which bits I want to look at, when, and for how long. And I can easily scan up and down to re-read the bits I want to study closer.

        But with video, I don't have that control and that's where my frustration comes from.

        Cheers,

        Neil
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        • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
          Stats has shown that video salesletters are waaayyy outperforming long or short.
          Surely that would depend on the product/service/market? It's horses for courses.

          Cheers,

          Neil
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        • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
          Have you ever seen a video on Ted.com?

          They have in-video navigation, you mouse over the video and you see a navigation slider. The time is right for someone to market a flash video player which has this function... It's probably already out there - but not in the mainstream.

          Now, it's up to the video makers to ensure that the video flows, yet each navigable part makes sense and sells the product on its own.

          Kindest regards,
          Karl.

          Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

          Whenever the debate about long copy over short copy comes up, I always chime in and say that people who are considering buying a product want to know as much about it as possible. Hence the long copy approach works.

          I'm that way for long sales copy but the opposite when it comes to video.

          And I think it comes down to control, or loss of it, actually.

          With written copy I can choose which bits I want to look at, when, and for how long. And I can easily scan up and down to re-read the bits I want to study closer.

          But with video, I don't have that control and that's where my frustration comes from.

          Cheers,

          Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author Dana_W
    Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

    ...videos!

    I just went to the site of a soon-to-be-launched product and the pre-launch sales video was over 34 minutes long.

    34 minutes!

    I conceived 3 kids in less time than that!

    Long (written) sales copy has shown over the years to be the best at converting.

    But what about video? Has this been tested? The longer the better?

    Cheers,

    Neil
    HA HA HA! Neil, does your wife get to weigh in on this? I'm almost afraid to hear her side of the story!

    I can only speak for myself - I HATE long videos, and honestly I prefer written sales copy/reports/etc. in general because I can skip over the boring parts. I mean, TV sitcoms last half an hour, and in theory they are supposed to be entertaining!
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    • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
      I'm almost afraid to hear her side of the story!
      I've asked her to butt out. She's trying to say I'm exaggerating.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dana_W
        Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

        I've asked her to butt out. She's trying to say I'm exaggerating.
        And I won't even ask if that's 32 minutes combined or...anyway, moving on...

        ANYWAY, yes, I would be much more likely to tolerate video if it was easier to fast forward through the excruciatingly dull parts.

        As for these studies that show that video outperforms written copy - where are they? I'm always looking for statistics that will guide me in how to present sales copy.
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